Even if there is a certain trouble with an accelerator pedal, e.g. if a driver lays down a floor mat anew and the accelerator pedal should be caught by the newly laid floor mat and cannot be returned from a depressed state, a vehicle is required to be able to be stopped if a brake pedal is depressed.
Thus, JPH 11-182274A discloses to limit an opening of a throttle valve (hereinafter, referred to as a “throttle opening”) to a predetermined opening if a brake pedal is depressed when a vehicle speed is lower than a predetermined vehicle speed and an accelerator pedal is depressed by a predetermined amount or more. It is also disclosed that, when the brake pedal is released, limitation on the throttle opening is gradually lifted over a predetermined time and a sudden start of a vehicle is prevented.